'Why were they suddenly giving in to the Alliance? Could the IPC really have a problem?'
The three who witnessed the whole thing exchanged glances, and Lingsha chuckled softly.
-----------------------------------------
"This is... the Xianzhou Luofu."
The girl from Jarilo looked in shock at the huge port in front of her, swallowing and spitting out numerous star skiffs.
Just a single port was so prosperous, one could imagine the power behind it.
Bronya was dazzled. If she hadn't been prepared in advance, and considering the great changes Jarilo had undergone recently, her former self might have thought she had come to a paradise on earth.
She had rushed over from Jarilo after receiving an invitation letter.
Although she now bore the title of Great Guardian, Cocolia would not keep her stationed at the Qlipoth Fort forever.
As Jarilo's current and future ruler, Cocolia knew very well that Bronya needed to broaden her horizons.
Listening to those outsiders talk on Jarilo was ultimately not as real as experiencing it herself.
Just as the Xianzhou was about to host the Martial Exhibition Ceremony and had sent an invitation to Jarilo, Cocolia had deliberately taken over Bronya's duties, sending her out to relax and ease her mind.
"The first time I saw this scene, I was also shocked. This is, after all, a top force that has sailed across the universe for eight thousand years. We're still young; we have time."
Serval patted Bronya on the shoulder and laughed softly.
Looking around, Serval whispered: "Moreover, the Xianzhou Alliance is different from other top forces. They can actually call upon an Aeon to launch attacks. Their status is special, basically, no one dares to mess with them. And because they are holding the Martial Exhibition Ceremony, even the Yaoqing Xianzhou, the best fighters in the alliance, have arrived. Right now, Luofu is truly a gathering of stars, heroes everywhere!"
Bronya looked at Serval in puzzlement but quickly shook off that odd feeling. After all, Serval had arrived earlier, so hearing some strange slang wasn't surprising.
"By the way, where is Lord Godzilla? I'd like to pay a visit." Bronya hadn't forgotten one of the purposes of her visit.
"Come on, I'll take you. Haha, that big guy has taken over one of the cave heavens here, making those Vidyadhara elders furious..."
...
"Luofu." A gentle girl gazed at the bustling streets, dazed for a moment.
Which way should she go?
"Silver Wolf only said Godzilla is in a place called the Scalegorge Waterscape, but how do I get there...?"
Firefly pinched at her clothes in frustration.
She didn't know where that so-called Scalegorge Waterscape was or what it looked like.
But anything connected to Godzilla would surely be heavily guarded by the Xianzhou.
How was she supposed to bypass those guards?
On top of that, Firefly had limited time to move around outside, she had to seize every opportunity to achieve her goal.
But, her most urgent task right now should be...
"Where am I sleeping tonight?"
...
Meanwhile, a newly arrived group had just stepped off a transport.
"Huh? What's with that look?" March 7th tilted her head, puzzled at Stelle, who had frozen in place.
"I think I saw someone I know, but I'm not sure. Now I can't see them." Stelle hesitated, and when she looked again, the figure was gone.
"Someone you know? Luofu's full of people we know. Let's just wait until we meet them, or at worst, contact them now and see if it's them."
March 7th reminded her.
"No, let's just go to the Palace of Astrum first. I probably imagined it." Stelle shook her head.
Come to think of it, how could Firefly possibly be in Luofu? This wasn't Penacony.
The Family's power couldn't block a Stellaron Hunter, and now with three Xianzhou ships gathered and three of the Seven Arbiter-Generals here, even Stellaron Hunters wouldn't dare cause trouble at a time like this.
Even so, Stelle still felt that figure looked familiar.
Palace of Astrum.
Yukong personally welcomed the Express Crew.
"It's been a while. I heard about your heroic deeds in Penacony, truly worthy of Nameless." Yukong praised.
"Hehe, helping those in need, that's something I learned here on the Luofu! We Nameless just do good without seeking fame, only wishing for peace in the world!"
Hearing Yukong's praise, March 7th puffed up her chest proudly.
"Haha, yes." Seeing March 7's lively appearance, Yukong smiled.
But then she thought of her own troublesome daughter, and that smile collapsed instantly.
If not for the fact that she was already grown up, she'd have dragged her over and given her a good beating with a clothes hanger.
"There's still some time before the Martial Exhibition Ceremony. You can all take your time exploring Luofu. Of course, if you have anything to discuss with the General, feel free to do so. The Xianzhou Yaoqing and Zhuming generals are also present with him, so you might even run into them."
"Then we won't keep you from your duties, Yukong." Stelle replied.
...
Scalegorge Waterscape.
Two figures, one large and one small, were stacked like a human pyramid.
Only the small one was a bit too small.
"Sigh, Martial Exhibition Ceremony... so boring."
Bailu drooped her little face, lying in the same sleeping position as Godzilla, her tail limp against him, looking utterly bored.
"Well, it's a grand event that hasn't been held in hundreds of years. It's normal for preparations to take time. Haha, perfect chance to slack off a bit."
Qingque rubbed her hands together, sitting cross-legged next to Bailu.
She couldn't care less about some Martial Exhibition Ceremony, so long as the Xianzhou held it well, what did it have to do with her, a library administrator?
This was simply a gift from heaven!
Time to play some Empyrean Jade tiles!
"Bailu, want to play a round?"
Qingque stretched out her mischievous claws toward Bailu.
"Don't, if I have time to play cards, I might as well go to Aurum Alley to eat more snacks."Bailu wagged her tail, looking rather indifferent.
Qingque was ferocious when playing cards, and the only one who could forcibly shut her down while she was playing was the Master Diviner from the Divination Commission.
Unfortunately, that Master Diviner had been busy with official duties lately. With so many forces coming and going on the Xianzhou, even many unusual people with special abilities.
For such dangerous individuals, while the Xianzhou wouldn't immediately capture and imprison them upon arrival, collecting information and monitoring their movements was unavoidable.
And as the one in charge of information, the Divination Commission had an extremely important role.
However, it was said that another major reason was that the current General pushed all affairs onto the Master Diviner, causing her to be so busy every day that her feet barely touched the ground, overwhelmed by work.
Whatever the truth, Qingque just felt very happy, extremely happy.
"Sigh, it's a pity Godzilla doesn't play cards, and there's no Emperor's Jade Tile that big, so we can't experience the wonders of the Emperor's Jade Tile game." Qingque said regretfully.
Hearing this, Godzilla cracked his eyes open slightly.
His vertical pupils slowly lifted upward.
Is this little bird speaking human language? If there really were tiles that big, that little Diviner would be the first to suppress you.
"Right! Isn't today the day Guinaifen and her troupe perform? I remember they have a performance at The Sleepless Earl, do you want to go watch?!"
Suddenly remembering this event, Bailu perked up, jumped up, shook her body, confirmed her tail was fine, and then invited Qingque.
"Guinaifen and Sushang's performance? That reckless spirit of Sushang really deserves our respect."
Thinking of something, Qingque shook her head slightly, both sighing and admiring.
It's only because Sushang is a Xianzhou native and a member of the Cloud Knights with good physique, otherwise, with that much exertion, even long-lived species might become mara-stuck... right?
Mara strikes because of stray thoughts, and with Sushang's brain being on par with a bird's, plus Guinaifen's antics, can she even fall into Mara?
Qingque suddenly realized there was a big blind spot in her thinking.
...
"Come, come, take a look!" After a shout, Guinaifen carried a big hammer and approached the camera.
"Hehe~~ Today, my sister and I will perform a chest-crushing stone trick!"
Sushang lay on the ground with a huge green stone nearly the size of her upper body placed on her chest, her eyes nervously darting at the big hammer in Guinaifen's hands.
Meanwhile, not far away from The Sleepless Earl...
"Sigh~ I'm so mad! These Xianzhou people really don't know what respect for the elderly and care for the young means!"
Scott angrily pulled over a chair and sat down.
"Commissioner Scott, the Xianzhou people are generally hospitable..."
"Do you think I don't know that?! I'm talking about respect! For! The elderly!" Scott emphasized every word.
"All those Xianzhou people are older than me, so shouldn't they take care of me? Instead, every single one of them is opposing me. Isn't that bullying honest folks?! Sigh, I'm just too easygoing. Hey, hey, what are you all standing there for, take the orders!"
Seeing his subordinates frozen and dumbfounded, Scott tapped on the table to wake them up.
"Oh, oh, boss lady, I want a cup of Immortal's Delight."
"Me too!"
"Me too!"
Mengming looked at the group of IPC agents blankly as they ordered, most of them asking for Immortal's Delight. She lifted her head and glanced at her shop's name.
No mistake, this was indeed The Sleepless Earl.
Shouldn't out-of-towners order something like Startaro Bubble Tea instead?
"Tsk, what a bunch of tasteless people. Sigh, hanging around with you lot has ruined my refined palate."
Hearing that, Mengming felt a little relieved, at least someone among them knew tea.
"Boss lady, give me a cup that's not too hot, not too cold, with just the right taste."
"Eh?"
"Hmm? Didn't you hear me?!"
"I heard, I heard!"
Seeing Scott looking at her, Mengming quickly nodded.
No matter what the customer's request, as the owner she had to deliver. She was in the tea business, after all, and customers had their preferences...
...
Meanwhile, just after leaving the Palace of Astrum, March 7th and Stelle wandered leisurely into the Starwatcher Avenue.
"It's so lively up ahead, is there a performance?"
Standing on tiptoes and shading her eyes, March 7th curiously looked toward the other side of the bridge.
There, two groups of people had gathered around separate areas, and it seemed that one crowd was slowly shifting toward the other. According to March 7th's fun radar, something interesting was definitely happening over there!
"Let's hurry! If we're late, we'll miss it!" She said, pulling Stelle's wrist and running in that direction.
Stelle, still a bit confused, tilted her head slightly.
"I remember that voice belongs to the owner of The Sleepless Earl, right?"
Just as they reached the edge of the crowd, a familiar voice entered Stelle's ears.
"Little boss lady, isn't this wrong? I've heard for a long time that the Xianzhou has a deep tea culture and excellent hospitality. Am I not a guest? Am I a guest or not?"
"Guest, you..."
"Don't call me a guest. In your eyes, I'm not a guest at all. I asked for tea that's neither too hot nor too cold, just at the perfect temperature. But what you served was either lukewarm or scalding hot. You people on the Xianzhou really know how to treat your guests!"
"On top of that, this tea tastes like muddy water, and it even looks disgusting! Aren't you supposed to be good at hospitality?"
The voice was so familiar that Stelle fell into a moment of recollection.
She vaguely remembered, this was the voice of an old acquaintance. If she remembered it so clearly, then she must have been on very good terms with that person, right?
March 7th was still pushing her way forward.
"Hey! You! Don't go too far!"
"Oh my, and who might this heroine be? Judging from your attire, did I delay your business? My apologies, my deepest apologies."
The sarcastic tone made everyone's skin crawl, and they almost wanted to personally step in and deal with this short-lived species.
How could someone be so annoying with just a few words!
Sushang took a deep breath, glaring at Scott.
"I am with the Cloud Knights."
"Oh! So you've got some background, huh? Tsk tsk. Does that mean as a guest I can't criticize Xianzhou's tea? I paid money, and this is what I get?
Forget that I earned that money with my own hard work… even if I picked it up off the ground, I'm still a paying customer, right? This little boss lady served me tea that didn't meet my request at all, isn't that bullying us customers?"
"Am I right, everyone!" Scott turned to the employees behind him, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Yes, yes, yes! That's right!"
Seeing that familiar look, several employees immediately stood straight, echoing Scott's words.
"You… you… you!" Sushang clutched her chest. Unfortunately, she wasn't good with words, only skilled in martial arts and brute strength, which in this situation was completely useless.
At this critical moment, Guinaifen stepped forward.
"Please, your so-called 'request' can hardly even be called a proper request, okay? Who asks for tea like that? Do you want tea or plain water?"
The fact that Guinaifen could get along with Sushang was proof enough that there wasn't a huge intelligence gap between them, but she at least had experience dealing with people like this from her life on the streets.
"Oh? Really? Then let me ask you, did I pay for it? Since I paid, don't I have the right to make requests? And is my request unreasonable?"
"Uh, well..."
Guinaifen was momentarily speechless.
By Scott's logic, tea that's not hot and not cold is basically warm water, isn't it?
But the problem is, who knows what 'not hot and not cold' means to you?
How could the little boss lady know what temperature is 'just right' for you? You're just looking for trouble!
Just as Scott was about to press his advantage,
"Make way, make way, what's everyone crowding around for?"
A cute little Vidyadhara girl popped out from the crowd. Being the most famous doctor in Luofu, no one dared to block Bailu's way, after all, who knew if they'd need to book an appointment with her next time?
"So noisy... eh? Little boss lady, what's wrong?" Bailu immediately noticed Mengming's low spirits and reddened eyes, dropping her usual pretense of maturity and quickly asking questions.
Guinaifen and Sushang quickly explained what had just happened, and then,
"I'll drink your nonsense! With all these ridiculous demands, why don't you just go home and drink plain water? That'd be way healthier than this! And you dare bully the little boss lady? Take this, from me!"
"Whap!!"
Bailu's chubby little legs pushed off slightly, and she soared into the air. Her blue-and-white dragon tail lashed out, zipping forward and striking Scott in an instant.
With a crisp crack, Scott was sent flying two meters into the air, spinning eight hundred ninety degrees before crashing down, while the staff hadn't even reacted yet.
"Bailu, why are you running so fast… huh, !"
Qingque had just pushed through the crowd and started speaking, only to see a black, unidentifiable object hurtling toward her.
Her expression changed immediately, and she dodged at a speed rivaling General Jing Yuan himself, watching as the object slammed into a potted plant.
Meanwhile, March 7th and Stelle finally squeezed their way through, their eyes landing on the scene.
"Scott?" Stelle's gaze locked onto the person who had just been sent flying, and her expression changed slightly.
So that's why that voice sounded so familiar, it was Scott. Her so-called 'dear friend.'
Bailu landed, snorting as she looked at Scott's pathetic state. That snort finally snapped the employees out of their shock, and they rushed toward Scott, wailing.
"Administrator Scott, quality inspector!"
"Administrator Scott, you can't die yet! You haven't signed my performance proof!"
"I have paper here!"
"I have a pen! Administrator Scott, please hang on and sign our performance reports!"
This heart-wrenching outpouring of concern finally jolted Scott awake. His eyes popped wide open, and with great effort he sat up, trembling fingers pointing at the group crowding around him.
"Uh, I don't know him, but I can't help but feel a little sorry for him..." March 7th's mouth twitched, a rare pang of conscience flickering inside her.